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PENNSYLVANIA 
BISON  HI  NT 

PK.NNA.    DEER    AND 
TilEIR  HORNS 

Shoemaker 


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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 


PRESENTED  BY 

PROF. CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 

MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


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A  PENNSYLVANIA 
BISON   HUNT 

BEING  THE  RESULTS  OF  AN  INVESTIGATION  INTO  THE 
CAUSES  AND  PERIOD  OF  THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  THESE 
NOBLE  BEASTS  IN  THE  KEYSTONE  STATE  OBTAINED 
FROM  DESCENDANTS  OF  THE  ORIGINAL  HUNTERS.  IN- 
CLUDING A  SKETCH  OF  THE  CAREER  OF  DANIEL  OTT. 
A  PENNSYLVANIAN  WHO  HAS  KILLED  MANY  BUFFALOES 
IN  THE  WEST. 


COMPILED  BY 

HENRY  W.  SHOEMAKER, 

(Author  Of   "PENNSYLVANIA  DEER  AND  THEIR  HORNS") 

COPYRIGHT  :     ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED. 


MIDDLEBURG.   PA.. 

Published  By  The  "MIDDLEBURG  POST"   Press. 

19     15. 


(FRONTISPIECE) 

JACOB  QUIGGLE,  1821—1911, 

ex  -  commissioner  of  Clinton  County,  grandson 
of  Philip  Quigley,  Early  Pennsylvania  Buffalo 
Hunter. 


INDEX  OF  PAGES 

Introduction    7  10 

Tl.     Dofinitcly  Located   11  15 

III.     Description IG  19 

I\'.     The  Passing; 20  27 

V.     The  Last   Stand 28  37 

VI.     Last  of  His  Race 38  43 

VII.     Reintroduced   44  49 

VIIL     Daniel  Ott 50  (10 


IVI31SJ456 


A  PENNSYLVANIA 
BISON  HUNT 

Being  The  Results  of  an  Investigation  into  the  Causes  and 
Period  of  The  Destruction  of  These  Noble  Beasts  in  The 
Keystone  State,  Obtained  from  Descendants  of  the  Original 
Hunters.  Including  a  Sketch  of  the  Career  of  Daniel 'Ott. 
a  Pennsylvanian  Who  Has  Killed  Many  Buffaloes  in  the 
West  .... 


"Perhaps  the  most  gigantic  task  ever  undertaken  on  this 
continent  in  the  line  of  game  slaughter  was  the  extermina- 
tion of  the  bison — Probably  the  brilliant  rapidity  and  suc- 
cess with  which  that  lofty  undertaking  was  accomplished 
was  a  matter  of  surprise  even  to  those  who  participated  in 
it.  The  story  of  the  slaughter  is  by  no  means  a  long  one  " 
—Dr.  W.  T.  Hornaday. 

COMPILED  BY 
HENRY   W.  SHOEMAKER, 

MIDDLEBURG,   PA., 

Published  By  The  "MIDDLEBURG  POST"   Press, 
19     15. 
COPYRIGHT  :     ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED. 


TO 
DR.  W.  T.  HORNADAY.  Sc.  D., 

\VII(»  .MOK'H  THAN  ANY  OTHER  MAX  I\ 
A.Mi:iH("A  HAS  SAVED  THE  P.ISOX  EliO.M 
EXTINCTION.  TIIKSE  I'Ai.'ES  AIM-:  KE- 
srECTKI'LLY     DEDKLATEI). 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT 


/     INTRODUCTION 


WHEN  a  supposedly  anthoiitativo  publica- 
tion like  "Report  of  the  reiinsylvania  De- 
partment of  Agriculture"  for  189()  states 
that  *'p(Mhaps  two  hundred  years  ago  the  lordly 
l)is()n  inliabited  what  is  now  the  Keystone  State," 
it  would  seem  well  nigh  impossible  to  trace  doAvn 
the  animal's  existence  within  our  borders  to  a 
more  comparatively  recent  date.  The  published 
references  to  the  buffaloes  in  Pennsylvania  are 
few  and  far  between.   The  earliest  travelers  and 


S  PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT 


cliiuniclcrs  like  l*e*or  Kaliii,  Dr.   JSc-hoepl',  ami 
oven  William  Ponii  make  little  mention  of  them, 
but  that  is  entirely  due  to  the  fact  that  in  their 
travels  they  passed  just  outside  of  the  bison's 
limited  ran<>v,    althouiih    Albert    Gallatin     has 
much  to  say  concernin*'-  them.    Dr.  AV.  T.  Horna- 
day     in     his     monoiiraph     on   the     extermina- 
tion    of     the     American     Bison     has     devoted 
more    si)a(('    to     the     existence     of     these     ani- 
mals   in     the     State    than    any    other    writer. 
In  the  map  which  he  prepared  showinii  the  form- 
er ranjie  of  the  buffaloes  in  North  America  he 
has  drawn  a  line  ap])roximately  just  west  of  the 
Sus(iuehanna  showinu  where  the  herds  and  then 
the  stra^ulers  lingered  until  the  last  years  of  the 
ciiihteenth  century.    This  would  biinj--  the  raniic 
a  tiille  west  of  Ilarrisburg,  of  Liveipool.  of  Sun- 
buiy,   Lewisbur<>,   Lock   Haven,    lOmporium   and 
Bradford.     West  of  that  the  buffalo's  ran.ue  ex- 
ten(h'd  unbrokenly  to  the  Rocky  Mountains.     S. 
N.  Rhoads    in    his    "Mammals   of    Pennsylvania 
and  New  Jersey"  has  furnished  some  interestino 
information   on   the    Bison   in    Pennsylvania,  as 
has  Trof.  J.  A.  Allen  in  his  very  com]»lete  treat- 
ise.    But   they  have  failed  to  liive  anythinu  like 
a  dcsciiption  of  tlie  Pennsylvania  Bison,  how  he 
looked,  his  size,  habits,  or  the  details  of  his  ex- 
termination.    With  mea<>re  records  the  hunt  for 
tra<-es  of  the  Bison  of  the  Keystone  State  miulit 
seem  discourajiinii,  wei-e  if  not  for  the  wealth  of 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT 


oral  traditions,  embracing;  every  topic  connected 
with  life  in  colonial  days,  which  still  runs  like 
an  underground  stream  through  the  hearts  and 
minds  of  the  old  pioneers.     These  people,  with 
their  clear  intellects,  well-developed  consciences, 
and  kindly  natures,  are  fast  falling  beneath  the 
hand  of  the  Keaper,  but  from  them  some  record 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Bison   has    been    obtained, 
and  on  the  folloAving  pages  is  preserved.     How- 
ever, much  of  what  has  been  thus  obtained  will 
only  interest  the  scientist  and  the  student,  for  it 
matters  little  to  most  persons  to  learn  that  the 
Pennsylvania  Bison  was  different  in  appearance 
from  most  of  his  western  congeners,  that  he  be- 
longed to  the  type  known  as  the  wood  bison.    At 
the  same  time  it  does  seem  worth  while  to  present 
a  description  of  our  bison,  from  the  lips  of  the 
grandson  of  a  noted  hunter  of  the  species.     It 
brings  us  closer  to  this  vanished  forest  monarch, 
makes  Bison  americanus  seem  more  real.     But 
from  points  of  difference  he  deserves  to  be  called 
Bison    americanus    Pennsylvanicus.    Doubtless 
west  of  the  Alleghaniea  the  individuals  sliaded 
into  the  true  bison  of  the  plains,  but  those  wliich 
ranged  between  tlie  east  and  west  sloi)es  of  the 
Alleghanies,  migrating  between  tlie  (ireat  Lakes 
and  the  valleys  of  Southern  Pennsylvania,  Mary- 
land and  Virginia,  to  Oeorgia  represented  the 
type  of  bison  of  the  Keystone  State.     Doubtless 
in  Georgia  they  encountered  the  Nortliern   mi- 


10  PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT 

j^ratioiis  of  a  Soutlieni  or  Soutlnvesteni  type  of 
bison,  the  bison  of  Louisiana,  but  probably  it  too 
was  closely  related  to  the  Pennsylvania  type. 
The  lengthy  niii> rations  were  hardly  in  keeping 
with  known  eharacteristics  of  the  wood  bison  of 
Colorado,  Wyoming,  and  Montana,  and  of  the 
Canadian  Northwest.  But  this  can  be  clearly 
judged  and  determined  after  the  stated  facts  are 
weighed  and  digested.  But  most  interesting  of  all 
seems  the  vast  numbers  of  bison  which  roamed 
through  the  Central  and  Western  paits  of  our 
state,  now  gone  and  forgotten  through  man's 
rapacious  greed. 


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PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HrNT 


11 


//     DEFINITELY  LOCATED 

IT  was  early  in  the  month  of  August,  1911,  that 
a  "clam  bake"  was  given  at  Quiggle  Springs 
nearMcElhattan  in  Clinton  County.  Though  the 
bake  was  far  from  a  success,  as  those  present  well 
renuMiiber,  the  information  concerning  the  bison 
in  Pennsylvania  gleaned  at  it  made  it  a  memor- 
able occasion.  About  nine  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing, while  waiting  for  the  clams  to  be  served, 
the  moon  began  to  rise  from  behind  the  Bald 
Kagle  Mountain  which  towered  above  the  Park. 
The  conveisation  had  turned  to  old  Hyloshotkee, 
the  Cayuga  cliief  wlio  once  resided  at  the  Five 
vSjuings,  to  the  elo(|uent  Logan  who  often  camp- 
ed rheie  and  then  drifted  to  the  subject  of  hunt- 
ing adventUT'es.  One  of  the  guests,  Jacob  Quig 
ole.  formeilv  a  Commissioner  of  (^linton  (^ounty, 


12  PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT 


at  that  time  Hearing  his  ninetieth  birtliday,  re- 
marked that  he  liad  often  heard  of  Hyloshotkec's 
prowess  as  a  buffalo  hunter.  Immediately  the 
Avriter's  curiosity  was  aroused — he  has  previous- 
ly interrogated  the  aged  gentleman  on  almost 
every  other  subject  of  Pennsylvania  anti(|uity — 
and  now  he  was  to  learn  something  definite  about 
the  bison.  Mr.  Quiggle's  keen  gray  eyes  kindled 
with  interest  in  the  subject,  and  he  went  on  to 
say  that  his  grandfather,  Philip  Quigley  or 
Quiggle,  who  settled  in  what  is  noAv  Wayne 
Township,  Clinton  County,  in  1773,  and.  later 
was  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  had 
been  known  far  and  wide  as  a  buffalo  hunter.  He 
had  been  born  in  Cumberland  County  in  1745, 
and  grcAV  to  manhood  with  the  l)ufTaloes  just 
aci'oss  the  lilue  Kidge  from  his  home.  As  they 
were  gradually  driven  west  and  north,  to  Buffalo 
Creek  in  liedford  County,  to  Buffalo  Valley  in 
Union  County  he  had  followed  them,  until  find- 
ing a  spot  of  ground  wliicli  suited  him  on  the 
West  Branch,  he  had  settled  in  the  heart  of  the 
Indian  and  big  game  country.  The  famous 
'*P>iiffalo  Path"  had  run  within  a  few  rods  of  his 
cabin,  extending  through  the  valley  of  Henry 
Bun,  to  the  east  end  of  Sngai-  \'alley,  thence 
acioss  tlu'  Bed  Hills,  through  the  west  end  of 
While  Deer  \  alley,  across  the  liulfalo  Moun- 
tains, into  IJuffalo  N'alley,  across  that  val- 
Icv.  over  -lack's  and  the  White  Mountains,  into 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT  13 

Middle  Creek  ^'alloy  Avliere  the  giant  beasts 
wintered  in  countless  numbers.  Earlier  they  had 
continued  their  niijirations  probably  as  far  as 
Georoia,  many  bison  crossing  from  the  Ohio 
country  into  Southern  Pennsylvania  via  Clear- 
field. Thomas  Ashe,  in  his  ''Travels  in  America" 
in  180(5  says:  "The  best  roads  to  the  Onondargo 
from  all  parts,  are  the  buffalo-tracks;  so  called 
from  having  been  observed  to  be  made  by  the 
buffaloes  in  their  ainiual  vi.«!itations  to  the  lake 
from  their  pasture-grounds:  and  though  this  is 
a  distance  of  above  two  hundred  miles,  the  best 
surveyor  could  not  have  chosen  a  more  direct 
course,  or  firmer  or  better  groui'.d.  I  have  often 
traveled  these  tracks  with  safety  and  admiration  : 
I  perceived  them  chosen  as  if  by  the  nicest  judg- 
ment; and  when  at  times  I  was  per])lexed  to  find 
them  revert  on  themselves  nearly  in  paiallcl 
lines,  I  soon  found  it  occasioned  by  swam])s. 
j)()nds,  or  precipices,  which  the  animals  knew 
how  to  avoid :  l)ut  that  object  being  affected,  the 
i-oad  again  swept  into  its  due  course,  and  bore 
towards  its  destination  as  if  undei-  the  diicction 
of  a  compass."  Kev.  John  Ettwein  in  his  "Notes 
of  Travel  in  177-"  says,  "Reached  Cleailield 
( /i-eek,  where  the  buffaloes  formerly  cleared  large 
ti'acts  of  undergrowth,  so  as  to  give  then)  tlu'  a])- 
])eai'ance  of  cleared  fields;  hence  the  Indians  call 
the  cieek  Clearfield."  The  herds  had  been  (  ut  in 
two  ])y    the   s<'ttleis   in  IMiilip  (Juigley's  time  the 


U  PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT 


Northern  and  Western    herds    could    move    no 
further  South  than  the  Valley  of  Middle  Creek. 
Those  in  the  South  had  to  remain  there.     Mr. 
Quigj;ie  stated  that  when  the  persimmons  became 
ripe  alon«i-  the  Bald  Kajile  Mountains  it  was  time 
to  look  for  southern  mij-rations  of  the  buffaloes. 
In   sinjile  file    they    crossed    the    Susc^uclianna 
River  just  below  the  Gieat  Island,  a  short  dis- 
tance east  of  Lock  Haven,  followed  approximate- 
ly the  line  of  the  Xew  York  Central  Kailroad 
easterly  throuj-h  Wayne  Township,  and  thence 
south  throuj>h  the  j^ap  in  the  I5ald  Kai»le  Mount- 
ains, made  by  the  waters  of  Henry  Run,  former- 
ly called  Love  Run.   In  renn's  and  Aiiddle  Creek 
Valley  they  wei-e  joined  by  herds  Avhich   came 
from  the  Western  ])art  of  the  State  via  deartield. 
When  the  red  l)ud  was  in  ])loom  it  was  time  to 
look  for  the  Xoitherly  mijiration.   In  the  Autunm 
miurations,  thev  were  mostlv    killed     for    their 
hides,  but  in  Spring-  maiidy  calves  were  killed,  as 
budalo  calf  meat  was  hi.iihly  relished  by  the  pio- 
iiccis.    Tlie  calves  were  born  from  March  to  July. 
When  the  settlers  harrassed  the  buffaloes,  they 
ti'ied  to  mijirate  at  ni<>ht  as  much  as  ])<)ssil)le,  and 
al   the  (Jreat  Island  crossinii     split     into     three 
streams,  one  ]»()urin.u  thi-oujih  Castanea  Cap,  to 
tlie  head  of  the  Kammerdinei-  Run.  and  foHowinji' 
il  cast  to  where  it  joins  vsith  MclOlhattan  Run,  to 
conned    with    llie   tih'   which   went   thronuli    Mc- 
ICllialliin  (l;i|».    Tliciicc  these  two  files  went   out 


PENNSYLVANIA  BTSON  HUNT 


15 


the  valley  of  Spring  Run,  where  they  joined  the 
file  that  had  come  through  the  Henry  Run  Gap. 
The  bison  traveled  not  only  with  order  but  with 
time,  as  they  came  together  like  clock-work,  as 
if  by  preconceived  orders,  at  the  head  of  Spring 
Run. 


l«i 


rKNNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT 


///    i)i:s('h*irT/(}\ 


ASKIOD  (Iclinilcly  to  dcsiiiln'  llic  Pcimsvl- 
v:iiii;i  l)is()ii,  Mr.  (iuijijilc  staled  that  Ins 
iiicniory  was  clear  on  tliat  i>oint,  for  alllioiiiih 
his  mraiulfathcr,  the  hiiiilci-.  1im<1  dicil  bd'orc  his 
birtli.  and  his  fatlicr  had  passed  on  whih'  he  was 
still  a  youn«;  boy,  frcnn  his  mother  and  other  old- 
er i-elatives  he  had  heard  the  subject  uone  over 
auaiii  and  auain.  In  the  tirst  ]dace,  the  bison  of 
j'ennsyhania  was  a  tremendous  aininal.  Like 
the  wood  bison  of  the  tianks  of  the  Kocky  Moun- 
tains and  Canada  Northwest,  he  exceeded  in  size 
the  bntfaloes  nn't  with  west  of  Ohio,  Kentuckey 
and  Tennessee.  In  color  the  I'ennsylvaina  bison 
was  \-ei\-  dark,  manv  »>l'  the  old  bulls  beinu  coal 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  IUNT  17 

black,  with  grizzly  white  hairs  around  the  nose 
and  eyes.  The  hair  was  very  short,  Avitli  a  ten- 
dency to  crispness  or  curliness,  especially  at  the 
joints.  The  hump,  so  conspicious  on  the  western 
bison  was  notable  by  its  absence.  The  first  settlers 
on  seeing  the  animals  called  them  "wild  bulls." 
The  legs  were  long,  and  fore  and  back  legs  even- 
ly placed,  the  heavy  front  and  meagre  hind- 
quarters of  the  western  bison  were  not  present, 
in  other  woi-ds  the  Pennsylvania  bison  was  a 
beautifully  pi'oportioned  beast.  He  was  an  agile 
runner  and  climber,  carried  no  superfluous  flesh, 
was  adapted  in  every  way  for  life  in  a  rough, 
mountainous  country.  The  bulls  often  weighed  a 
ton,  the  mature  cows  half  that  nnuh.  The  hair 
on  the  neck  and  shoulders  was  no  longer 
than  on  other  parts  of  the  body,  except 
with  mature  bulls,  Avlio  carried  a  sort  of 
mane  or  crest  which  reached  its  maxim- 
um length  where  the  hump  grows  on  the 
prairie  buffalo.  Both  males  and  females  wore 
beards  but  thev  were  not  heavv  and  consisted  of 
tufts  of  straight,  stiff  black  hair.  The  horns, 
whicli  in  mature  specimens  were  very  long,  gi'ew 
upwards,  like  the  horns  of  Ayrshire  cattle.  Ap- 
pai-ently  the  hoi-ns  were  ninth  like  those  of  Jii.soii 
hoHdnus  of  Lithuania  and  tlie  Caucasus.  The 
Pennsylvania  bison  preferred  dense  forests,  al- 
though on  wai-m  smisliiny  days  in  winter  they 
could  be  found  sunning  themselves  in  abandoned 


18  PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT 


Indian  fields  in  Middle  Creek  Valley.  In  early 
Snninier  they  conld  be  fonnd  i)asturing  along 
Lake  Erie  and  Lake  Ontario, but  as  the  season  ad- 
vanced, gradually  retired  to  the  cool  mountain 
tops  in  Northern  Pennsylvania,  where  they  lin- 
gered until  the  first  snows — the  ''persimmon 
time"  further  south.  By  the  time  of  the  Fall 
migration  calves  which  had  been  born  mostly  in 
March  and  April  were  well  advanced,  and  many 
appeared  to  be  the  size  of  yearling  cattle.  The 
impression  among  the  early  hunters  was  that  the 
great  northern  herd,  which  when  Thilip  Quigley 
settled  on  the  West  Branch  in  1773,  still  number- 
ed about  12,000  animals,  was  split  up  into  a  vast 
number  of  ''families,"  consisting  of  a  mature 
bull  and  a  dozen  cows  with  a  like  nundjer  of 
yearlings  and  calves.  At  the  end  of  the  migia- 
tion  followed  the  weaker  and  aged  bulls,  which 
had  no  mates,  also  the  buffalo  oxen  of  still  great- 
er size  than  the  biggest  bulls,  these  last  named 
castrated  by  the  Avolves  of  Northern  Penn- 
sylvania.  Behind  the  stragglers  skulked  troops 
of  grey  wolves,  which  followed  the  herd  as  far 
as  the  (Jreat  Island  ci'ossing,  where  they  retired, 
tlie  ])ursuit  being  taken  u\)  by  packs  of  smaller 
brown  wolves,  wliich  foUowed  the  bison  from  tlie 
famous  wolf  rocks  on  Henry  Bun  as  far  South  as 
W'liile  Deer  Valley,  where  they  retired  in  favor 
of  the  larger  black  wolves.  These  black  wolves, 
whose  slrongliold  was  in   the  v^even  Mountains, 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT  19 

proved  on  the  sickly,  wounded  and  aged  buffaloes 
during  their  entire  winter's  stay  in  the  Valley  of 
Middle  Creek. 


2(1 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT 


IT     THE  PASSilNCT 


OX  the  Northerly  iiiiurntions,  nccordinc:  to 
Ml-,  (^uitijilc,  bands  of  buffalo  were  constant- 
ly (l]()i)i)inji-  out  of  the  <ir('at  herd,  these  were 
the  "faniilii's,"  each  led  by  a  «iiant  bull.  Many  of 
these  ^i-oups  summered  in  the  hij»h  table-lands 
of  the  Seven  Mountains,  in  what  is  now  (Jre'iji 
Township,  Centre  County,  whei-e  they  se<Mned  to 
feel  i»iiili(ubiily    content,     liy     1770    no    bison 


PF.XXSYLVAXIA  BISON  HUNT  21 

sumiiiered  in  the  ridges   adjacent   to  the  West 
Branch  \^alley,  as  the  settlers  kept  them  on  the 
run,  even   at  migration   time  they  would  have 
avoid  crossing  the  valley  had  not  the  instinct 
of  countless  centuries  been  too  difficult  to  over- 
come.     When    the    part    of    the    herd    which 
once     summered     at     the     northern     limit     of 
the     range,     which     was  Avhere     the     city     of 
l^uffalo,    New    York,    now    stands,    commenced 
their    southern    journey,    in    some    mysterious 
way,    probably    by    an    acute    sense    of    smell, 
knowledge    of    this     was      imparted     to     the 
heads  of  the  bison  families  which  had  "dropped 
off*'  at  each  sequestered  and  grassy  spot  on  the 
way  north  in  the  Spring.     These  heads  of  fam- 
ilies would  ascend  to  the  tops  of  high  peaks,  and 
bellow   loudly   for  several   days,   drawing  their 
little  colonies  around  them,  and  when  the  herd 
passed  down  the  path,  fall  into  line  for  the  journ- 
ey to  the  southland.     This  bellowing  or  drawing 
together  of  the  clans,  informed  the  hunters  of  the 
proximity  of  the  migration,  and  all  they  had  to 
do  was  to  post  themselves  along  the  paths,  and 
kill  as  many  bison  as  they  wished.     Many  were 
killed  foi-  s])ort,  or  to  prevent  the  settlers  further 
south  from  enjoying  them.     These  buffalo  paths, 
which  all  converged  with  the  main  path,  were 
often  worn  two  feet  deep  with  the  tread  of  the 
countless  herds  for  countless  years.     The  bark 
of  the  adjacent  trees  had  been  all  worn  off  by  the 


22  PP]NNSYLVANTA  BISON  IIITNT 

hujio  creatures  rubbing  themselves.  Along  Buff- 
alo Path  Run,  in  liuffalo  Gap,  Union  County  the 
path  is  very  plainly  marked  today,  altliough  no 
buffaloes  have  tramped  over  it  in  a  hundred  and 
fifteen  years!  Until  it  was  cut  some  years  ago  a 
large  hemlock  tree  by  this  path  showed  the  marks 
whei'e  it  had  been  lubbed  by  the  bison.  The  path 
is  a  familiar  landmaik,  and  ])art  of  it  is  a  trail  to 
this  day  foi-  i)i'ospectoi'S,  huntei-s,  fishermen  and 
beri-y-pickers.  Altliough  the  Indians  of  l*ennsyl- 
vania  killed  manv  buffaloes,  they  onlv  did  so  for 
food  and  clothing,  and  were  careful  to  keep  alive 
plenty  of  good  healthy  breeders.  Tliey  only  killed 
such  animals  as  were  absolutely  necessary  to 
them,  not  a  single  bone  or  sinew  was  wasted. 
With  such  hunting  thei-e  was  no  dangei*  of  buffa- 
loes or  any  othei-  animals  becoming  extinct.  It 
was  only  when  the  wliite  hunters  came,  men  of 
lowly  origin,  whose  forbears  were  not  allowed  to 
carry  firearms,  or  enter  in  the  game  preserves 
and  parks  of  the  gentry  of  the  old  counti'y,  who 
shiughtei-ed  the  bison  without  rime  or  reason. 
They  killed  foi'  the  sheer  love  of  gore  and  brutal- 
ity, they  killed  until  ammunition  and  strength 
b(»came  exhausted,  they  killed  h'st  somebody  else 
later  on  liave  something  left  to  kill.  In  Pennsyl- 
vania these  ra|»a(i<)us  l)eings  speedily  wiped 
out  the  tens  of  thousands  of  buffaloes,  as  well  as 
thc!  moose,  elk,  brown  bears,  beavers,  otters,  fisli- 
ers,  heath  cocks,  pai'0(piets,  pileated  woodpeckers, 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT  23 


wild  piiioons,  and  other  valuable  and  necessary 
animals  and  birds.     It  is  a  horrible  story  to  re- 
late, but  it  is  not  ended,  as  the  descendants  of 
these   ijuuchc   marrauders    have    ravished    and 
burned  forests,  and  now  their  factories  pollute 
our  rivers  and  streams  and  kill  the  fish.     They 
will  not  be  content  until  Pennsylvania  is  as  des- 
olate as  China,  and  they  have  prevented  posterity 
from  having  anything  worth  while!     Gradually 
the  herds  which  headed  south  became  less  and 
less  in  numbers.     The  aggregation  which  passed 
thi'ough  Henry  Run  annually  undoubtedly  joined 
a  still  larger  body  in  Middle  Creek  Valley  in  an 
early  day  on  their  march  to  Georgia.     But  to- 
wards the  end  the  Valley  of  Middle  Creek  was 
as  far  South  as  they  dared  to  travel,  and  some 
of  the  vast  armies  from  Western  Pennsylvania 
came  to  join  them  no  more.    In  various  parts  of 
the  State  we  get  glimpses  of  how  plentiful  were 
the  bison  at  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century. 
Prof.  Allen  quotes    from    Thomas    Ashe's    well- 
known  book,  '-Ti-avels  in  America*'  in  180(1,  as  fol- 
lows :  "In  the  vicinity  of  the  spot  whei-e  th(^  town 
of  Clarion  now  stands,  in  Northwestern  IVnn- 
sylvania,  one  of  the  lirst  settlers  built  a  log  cabin 
near  a  salt  spring  which  was  visited  by  l)uffaloes 
in  such  numbers  that  he  supposed  there  could  not 
have  been  less  than  two  thousand  there  at  a  time." 
Professor  Allen  stated  that  near  the  heads  of  Oil 
Creek  and  the  CMaiion  River  there  were  at  one 


24  PIONNSYLVANIA  BISON  IK 'NT 

time  thousands  of  buffaloes.  Waterford,  in  Erie 
County,  was  originally  tailed  Le  Boeuf,  and  is 
situate^l  on  Le  Boeuf  Lake.  P^'iench  Creek  in  Ven- 
ango County  was  originally  Riviere  des  Boeufs. 
Big  Buffalo  Creek  is  in  Armstrong  County — all 
famous  resorts  of  the  bison  in  the  old  days. 
They  were  more  f>revalent  in  Pennsylvania  than 
all  the  vast  herds  of  various  wild  animals  which 
were  found  by  the  first  pioneers  in  South  and 
South  Central  Africa.  S.  N.  Rhoads  further 
quotes  Ashe  as  saying  that  the  old  settler  at 
Clarion  declared  that  for  the  first  several  seasons 
the  buffaloes  visited  his  salt  spring  with  the  ut- 
most regularity.  They  traveled  in  single  file  al- 
ways following  each  other  at  equal  distances, 
forming  droves  on  their  arrival  of  about  three 
hundred  each.  These  embraced  probably  a  score 
of  family  gioups,  which  perha})s  had  some  ''clan" 
relationsliip.  The  first  and  second  years,  so  un- 
ac(piainted  were  these  poor  brutes  with  this 
man's  house  or  with  his  nature,  that  in  a  few 
hours  tliey  ru])bed  the  house  completely  down, 
taking  delight  in  turning  the  logs  of  wood  off 
with  their  horns,  while  he  had  some  difficulty  to 
escape  from  being  trampled  under  theii-  feet  or 
crushed  to  death  in  his  own  iMiins.  At  that  time 
he  estimated  there  could  not  have  been  less  than 
ten  Ihuusaiid  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  spring. 
They  sought  for  no  manner  of  food  but  only 
bathed  and  drank  three  or  four  times  a  dav  and 


PENNSYLVANIA  BTSON  HUNT  25 


i'oIUmI  in  the  earth,  or  reposed  with  their  flanks 
(listended,  in  the  adjacent  shades,  and  departed 
in  single  fih-s,  according  to  the  exact  order  of 
their  arrival.    They  all  rolled  snccessively  in  the 
same  hole  and  each  thus  carried  away  a  coat  of 
innd  to  preserve  the  moistnre  of  the  skin,  and 
wliich  when  hardened  and    baked    by    the    snn 
would  resist  the  stings  of  millions  of  insects  that 
otherwise  would  persecute  these  peaceful  travel- 
ers to  madness  or  even  death.     In  the  first  and 
second  years  this  old  man  with  some  companions 
killed  from  six  to  seven  hundred  of  these  noble 
creatures,  merely  for  the  sake  of  the  skins,  which 
to  them  were  worth  only  two  shillings  each,  and 
after  this  "work  of  death"  they  were  obliged  to 
leave  the  place  till  the  folknving  season,  or  till 
the  wolves,  bears,  panthers,  eagles,  rooks,  ravens, 
etc.,  had  devoured  the  carcasses  and  abandoned 
the  place  for  other  prey.     In  the  two  following 
years  the  same  persons  killed  gi-eat  numbers  out 
of  the  first  droves  that  arrived,  skinned  them  and 
left  the  bodies  exposed  to  the  sun  and  air;  but 
they  soon  had  reason  to  repent  of  this;  for  the  re- 
maining droves,  as  they  came  up  in  succession, 
st()i)p(Mi,  gazed  on  the  mangk'd  and  putrid  bodies, 
sorrowfully  moaned   or   furiously   lowed    aloud, 
and  returned  instantly  to  the  wilderness  in   an 
unusual  run  without  tasting  their  favorite  spring 
or  licking  the  impregnated  earth,  which  was  also 
once  their  most   agreeable  occupation  :  noi-  did 


2r.  PKXXSYLVANIA  BISON  HINT 


Ihcv  or  any  of  their  race  ever  revisit  that  iieiiih- 
borhood.  There  was  a  salt  spriiij*  in  Dauphin 
County  winch  the  bison  visited  in  Spring  and 
Fall.  It  was  situated  in  the  wilds  of  the  Stony 
Cieek  Country,  and  the  vast  herds  to  reaeh  it 
crossed  the  rivei-  at  Haldeman's  Island,  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Juniata.  Many  wei-e  drowned 
at  hiiih  water,  so  intent  were  thev  to  reach  their 
favorite  retreat.  Thomas  Ashe  says  elsewhere  in 
his  book  i-efeirinji  to  the  bloody  scenes  at  Clarion 
''The  simple  history  of  this  sprinu  is  that  of 
every  other  in  the  settled  parts  of  this  Western 
World.  I  met  with  a  man  who  had  killed  two 
thousand  buffaloes  (in  Tennsylvania  )  with  his 
own  hand,  and  others  no  d<Mibt  have  done  the 
same  thinji.  In  cons(M|uence  of  this  proceediuii 
not  one  l»nffah)  is  at  this  time  (  ISU  i  found  east 
of  th<*  Mississippi,  except  a  few  domesticated  by 
the  curious  oi-  cairie<l  throu<ih  the  country  on  a 
public  show."  .lohn  Filson,  writing  in  1784,  of 
the  Blue  Licks  in  Kentucky  stated,  "I  have  heard 
a  hunter  assert  he  saw  about  one  thousand  buffa- 
loes at  these  licks  at  once;  so  numerous  were  they 
lu'fore  the  fii-st  settlers  had  wantonly  sported 
away  their  lives.*'  All  through  Pennsylvania 
the  story  was  the  same,  wanton,  soidid,  and  un- 
necessary, the  annihilation  of  a  i*ace  of  animals 
which  <<)uld  have  been  domesticated  and  furnish- 
ed hides  and  beef  to  a  vast  iK)])ulation.  Peihaps 
it  is  just  as  well  thai  so  few  of  the  details  of  llic 


PENNSYLVANIA  BTSON  HUNT  27 


passing  of  the  Pennsylvania  bison  are  available, 
as  they  would  sicken  and  disgust  all  thoughtful 
and  sensible  persons.    It  is  best  that  the  waters 
of  oblivion  have  closed  over  the  entire  horrible 
transaction,  yet  a  w^ord  to  the  wise  is  sometimes 
suificient  to  stay  the  hand  that  is  bent  on  wiping 
out  the  remaining  forms  of  wild  life  in  the  Key- 
stone State.    The  passing  of  our  bison   should 
serve  as  an  object  lesson  of  the  need  of  organized 
conservation,  if  our  deer,  bears,  mid  cats,  wild 
turkeys,  and  grouse  are  to  be  saved.     Thomas 
Ashe,  in  commenting  on  the  cruel  annihilation  of 
the  lordly  bison  says :  "The  first  settlers  not  con- 
tent with  this  sanguinary  extermination  of  the 
animals,  also  destroyed  the  food  to  which  it  was 
most  partial,  which  was  the    cane,    growing    in 
forests  and  brakes  of  immeasurable  extent.    To 
this  the  unsparing  wretches  set  fire  in  dry  sea- 
sons ;  in  order  to  drive  out  every  living  creature, 
and  then  hunt  and  persecute  them  to  death.'' 


28 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT 


if: 

■r 


\     THE  LAST  STAND 


OIjD  I-'hivcl  IJci'iisti-cssci-  AVJis  foi-  SCVCI-Jil 
ye;! IS  ;i  ljniiili;ir  limine  a])()Ul  the  ancient 
Klccknci-  House  at  New  Hcilin.  The  forni- 
('!•  scat  of  justice  of  Union  Uounty,  lies  imniedi- 
alelv  casl  oCllic  While  Mountains,  where  Ihe 
()isoii  UKuh'  their  last  stand  in  Pennsylvania. 
'IMie  aiicd  man,  who  jticked  nj)  an  honest  penny 
hostlejin«i  and  doinji  chores  for  travel]inj>  men, 
was  a  jicnial  soul,  and  on  occasion  could  be  in- 
duced to  lell  of  his  illustiious  family  connec- 
tions. Chief  amonjLi  his  celebrated  forbears  was 
his  iircat  urandfat  liei-,  .Mailin  P>erjList  i-essei-,  a 
Snyder  County  pioneei-,  who  helped  to  wi|)e  out 
Ihe  last  herd  of  wild  l>ison  in  the  Keystone  State. 
I  IK  idrni  ally  through  marriaiic  he  was  iclaled  to 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT  29 

Flavel  Koaii,  an  eccentric    genius    who    in    liis 
youth  had  been  famed  as  a  slayer  of  Pensylvania 
bison.    About  twelve  years  ago,  when  the  writer 
was  in   Union  and  Snyder  Counties,  gathering 
the  old  folk-tales  and  legends  of  the    l»ennsyl- 
vania     mountains,    he    was    directed  to  Flavel 
Bergstresser    as    the    possessor    of    a  retentive 
memory   and    a     seemingly    inexhaustible  stock 
of     information.       It     happened     that     one     of 
the     writer's     companions     on     the     excursion 
was     (\»ptain      John      Q.      Dyce,     of     Clinton 
County,  famed  in  Central  Pennsylvania  as  a  i)oet, 
orator,  and  student  of  folk-lore,     (^aptain  Dyce 
and  Bergstresser  recognized  one  another  as  old 
friends,  as  they  had  gone  through  Muncy  Dain 
together  on  a  raft  which  followed  the  one  which 
was  wiecked  causing  the  loss  of  three  young  men, 
one  memorable  May  morning  in  184:i     One  tale 
of  the  long  ago  led  to  another,  old  Bergstresser 
waxing  ehxiuent  when  he  realized  that  he  was  be- 
inu  treated  as  an  eiiual  and  a  man  of  intelligence 
aiid  not   as  a  broken  down  hostler,  to  be  sworn 
at  and  kicked  about.     The  conversation   passed 
from  rafting  to  i)olitics,  from  ])<)liti(s  to  religion, 
fi-om  i-eligion  to  hunting,  whcic  it  stuck,  for  both 
old  ii'.cii  were  ciil  liusiastic  devotees  of  the  chase. 
It   iH'gaii  wilh  wild  pigeons.     i)assed     to     brown 
bears,  to  pantheis,  to  elks,  and  then  to  buffaloes, 
to  a  time  before  th<'  iiK-moiy  of  most  living  Pciiii- 
svlvanians.     Silling  down  in  a  comfoitaljlc  coi- 


30  PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT 


m'l-  ol"  the  steps  of  the  hotel,  and  leaning  ajiainst 
an  npiight,  old  Bergstresser    took    off  his   hat, 
stroked  his  long  white  beard,    and    related    the 
story  of  an  annihilation  of  the  last  bison  herd 
and  the  last  individnal  buffalo  in  Pennsylvania. 
The  story  is  given  in  full  in  Chapter  XVII  of  the 
writer's  ''More  Pennsylvania  Mountain  Stories," 
but  the  salient  facts  will  be  given  in  the  ensuing 
paragraphs.     It  appeared  from  what  Bergstres- 
ser  said  that  by  the  close  of  the  Eighteenth  cen- 
tury the  last  herd  of  Pennsylvania  bison,  num- 
bering nearly  four  hundred  animals  of  all  ages 
had  take  refuge  in  the  wilds  of  the  Seven  Moun- 
tains.    The  settlements  in  Middle  Creek  Valley 
prevented  them  from  wintering  there  as  of  yoi-e 
and  the  pei-sistent  slaughter  in  the  West  Branch 
Valley  made  it  unsafe  for  them  to  try  to  escape 
to  the  North.     Hemmed  in  on  all  sides,  they  sur- 
vived a  while  by  hiding  on  the  high(\st  and  most 
inaccessable  mountains,  or  in    the    deepest    and 
darkest  ravines.     The  winter  of  1700-1800  was 
particularly  severe,  and  life  on  the  bleak  moun- 
tain tops  became  unbearable    to    the    starving 
l)rutes.     They  must  penetrate   into   the   valleys, 
where  grass  could  be  dug  out  from   under  the 
snow,  or  ])('rish  of  hunger.     Led  by  a  giant  coal 
bhick  bull  called  "Old  Logan,"  after  the  Mingo 
cliicltain  of  that  name,  the  herd  started  in  single 
file  one  winter's  morning  for  the  clear  and  com- 
rorl;d)le  stretches  of  the  Valley  of  Middle  Creek. 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT  31 


While  passing-  throuj>li  the  woods  at  the  edj>e  of 
a  clearinji-  belonging  to  a  young  man  named  Sam- 
uel McClellan,  they  were  attacked  by  that  nim- 
rod,  who  killed  four  line  cows.    Previously,  while 
still  on  the  mountain,  a  count  of  the  herd  had 
been  made,  and  it  numbered  three  hundred  and 
fortv-five  animals.     Passing  from  the  McClellan 
property  the  herd  fell  afoul  of  the  barnyard  and 
haystack  of  Martin  Bergstresser,  a  settler  who 
had  recently  arrived  from  Berks  County.     His 
first  season's  hay  crop,  a  good-sized  pile,  stood 
beside  his  recently  completed  log  barn.    This  hay 
was  needed  to  feed  for  the  winter  to  a  number  of 
cows  and  sheep,  and  a  team  of  hoises.    The  cattle 
and  sheep  were  sidling  close  to  the  stack,  when 
they  scented  the  approaching  buffaloes.     With 
"Old  Logan"  at  their  head,  the  famished  bison 
herd  bioke  through  the  stump  fence,  crushing  the 
helpless  domestic  animals  beneath  their  mighty 
rush,  and  were  soon    complacently    pulling    to 
pieces  the  hay-pile.     Bergstresser,  who  was  in  a 
nearby  field  cutting  wood,  heard  the  commotion, 
and  rushed  to  the  scene.    AidcMl  l)y  his  daughter 
Katie,  a  girl  of  eighteen,  and  Sanniel  McClellan, 
who  joined  the  party,  four  buffaloes  were  slain. 
The  (h'aths  of  their  comrades  and  the  attacks  of 
the  settlers'  dogs  terrified  the  buffaloes  and  they 
swept  out  of  the  barnyard  and  up  the  frozen  bed 
of  the  creek.     When  they  were  gone,  awful  was 
the  desolation   left  behind.     The  barn   was  si  ill 


32  PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT 


standiiiii,  but  the  fences,  spring-  house,  and  hay- 
stack were  gone,  as  if  swept  away  by  a  Hood. 
Six  coAvs,  four  calves,  and  thirty-five  slieep  lay 
crushed  and  dead  among  the  ruins.  The  horses 
which  were  inside  the  barn  remained  unharmed. 
McClellan  started  homeward  after  the  depjirture 
of  the  buffaloes,  but  when  he  got  within  siglit  of 
his  clearing  he  uttered  a  cry  of  surprise  and  lior- 
ror.  Tlii'ee  hundred  oi*  more  bison  were  snorting 
and  trotting  aiound  the  lot  where  his  cabin  s-tood, 
obscuring  the  structure  by  their  hugt'  dark  bod- 
ies. The  pioneer  rushed  bravely  through  the 
roaring,  crazy,  surging  mass,  only  to  find  ''Old 
Logan,"  his  eyes  bloodshot  and  Haniing,  stand- 
ing guard  in  front  of  the  cabin  dooi-.  He  fii'ed  at 
the  monster,  wounding  him  which  so  further  in- 
furiated the  giant  bull,  that  he  ]>lunged  headl(>ng 
througli  the  door  of  the  cal)in.  The  held,  accus- 
tomed at  all  times  to  follow  their  leader,  forced 
their  way  after  him  as  best  they  could  through 
the  narrow  opening.  Vainly  did  McClellan  tire 
his  nnisket,  and  when^  the  ammunition  was  ex- 
hausted; he  drove  his  bear  knife  into  the 
beasts'  Hanks  to  try  and  stop  them  in  their  mad 
course.  Inside  were  the  jjioneer's  wife  and  three 
little  childi-en,  the  oldest  five  yeais,  and  he  dread- 
ed to  think  of  their  awful  fate.  lie  could  not 
stop  the  bulTaloes,  which  continued  tiling  thi'ough 
the  doorway  until  they  were  jammed  in  the  cabin 
as  tightly  as  wooden  animals  in  a  toy  Noah's  ark. 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT  33 


No  souiul  caiiio  from  the  victims  inside;  all  ho 
could  hear  was  the  snortiiiji"  and  bumpino-  of  the 
giant  beasts  in    their    cramped    quarters.     The 
sound  of  the  crazy    stampede    brought    Martin 
Bergstresser  and  three  othei-  neighbors     to    the 
spot,  all  carrying  guns.     It  was  decided  to  tear 
down  the  cabin,  as  the  only  ])()ssible  means  of 
saving  the  lives  of  the  McC/lellan  fandiy.     When 
the  cabin  had   been    battered   down,   the    bison, 
headed  by  "Old  Logan"  swarmed  from  the  ruius 
like  giant  black  bees  from  a  hive.    McClellan  had 
the    pleasure    of    shooting  "Old  Logan"    as    he 
emerged,  but  it  was  small  satisfaction.     When 
the  men  entered  the  cabin,  they  were  shocked  to 
find  the  bodies  of  the  pioneer's  wife  and  three 
children  d(nid  and  crushed  deep  into  the  mud  of 
the  earthen  flooi-  by    the    cruel     hoofs.     Of    the 
furniture,  nothing  remained  of  lai-ger  size  than 
a  handspike.     The  news  of  this  teriible  tragedy 
spread  all  over  the  valley,  and  it  was  suggested 
on   all   sides  that   the  murderous  bison   be  com- 
pletely exterminated.    Tlie  idea    took    (oncrete 
form  when  Bergstresser  and  McClellan  started 
on  hoi-seback,  one  riding  towards  the  river  and 
the    otheT-    towards    the    headwaters    of    Middle 
Creek,  to  invite  the  sctrlers    to   join     the     hunt. 
Meanwhile,  there  was  anollier  l»lizzard  but  everr 
man  invited  acce])te(l  with  alacrity.     About  fifty 
hunters  ass(Mnbled  at  the  Hergstressei-  home,  and 
niarclicd  like  an  invading  army  in  the  diicction 


34  PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  IKTNT 


of  the   inouiitaiiis.    Among-    them    were    Jacob 
"stuck,  George  Ott,  Emmanuel  Snyder,  Abraliam 
Sourkill,  George  Schnabk',  Jolm  Young,  AVilliam 
Doran,  George  Everhart,  Gottfried  Fryer,  Jacob 
Fryer,  Dennis  Muckk^henny,  Peter  Fisher,  Chris- 
tian Fishei-,  John  Hager,  Jacob  Long,  Sr.,  George 
Michael,  Francis   Rhoads,  (^onrad  AVeiser,  Jr., 
Peter  Arbogast,  Joseph  l»auling,  Albert  Swine- 
ford,  John  Swinef()i<l,  (ieorge  Swineford,  Jacob 
Jarrett,  Sr.,  John   Middleswaith,   George  Good, 
John  Kittardantive,  Harry  Lauder,  Harry  Lehr, 
Jonathan     Farnsworth,      George     Wickersham, 
George  Weirick,  John  Hartman,  Adam  Diessler, 
George  Kessler,  John  Kreigbaum,  George  Ben- 
fer,  Jolm  Hummel,  Solomon  Miller,  Moses  Troup, 
Peter  Trou]).     After  all  these  yeais,  some  of  the 
names  have  a    strangely    familiar    ring.     Many 
dogs,  some  partly  wolf,  accompanied  the  hunt- 
eis.     They  were  out  two  days  before  discovering 
Iheir  ({uarry,  as  the  fresh  snow  had  covered  all 
the  buffalo  paths.     The  brutes  were  all  huddled 
together  up  to  their  necks  in  snow  in  a  great 
hollow  space  known   as   the  "Sink"    formed    by 
Hoiniestiel's  T<nigue  in    the   heart    of  the  White 
M(Mintains,  near  the  ])i-esent    town    of    \Veikert, 
Union  (N)unly,  and  I  he  hunters  looking  down  on 
them  fiom  the  high   plateau  above,  now  kyown 
as  the  ilig  I'^lats,  estimated     theii'     number     at 
three  hundred.     When  they  got   among  the  ani- 
mals thev  found  them     numl)     from     cold     and 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT  35 


hunger,  but  had  they  been  physically  able  they 
could  not  have    moved,    so    deeply    were    they 
"crusted-'  in  the  drifts.     The  work  of  slaughter 
quickly  began.     Some  used  guns,  but  the  most 
killed  them  by  cutting  their  throats  with  long 
bear  knives.    The  snow  was  too  deep  to  attemi>t 
skinning  them,  but  manv  tongues  were  saved,  and 
these  the  backwoodsmen   shoved  into  the  huge 
pockets  of  their  deerskin  coats  until  they  could 
hold  no  more.     After  the  last  buffalo  had  been 
dispatched,  the  triumphant  hunters  climbed  back 
to  the  summit  of  Council  Kup  where  they  lit  a 
huge  bonfire  which  was  to  be    a    signal    to    the 
women  and  children  in  the  valleys  below  that 
the  last  held  of  Pennsylvania  bison  Avas  no  more, 
and  that  the  Mc(nellan  family  had  been  avenged. 
Then  the-  party  marched  down  to  the  lowlands 
singing  (jerman  hynnis.    It  was  a  horrible  sight 
that  they  left  behind  them  in  the  Sink.     Three 
hundred  dead  buffaloes  stood    upriglit    in     the 
frozen  crust  most  with  jaws  broken,  and  all  witli 
tongues  gone,  while  the  ice  about  them  resem])hMl 
a  sheet  of  crimson  glass.      Later   in    the   seasoij 
some  of  the  hunters  returned  to  see  if  tliey  could 
procure  a  few  of    the    hides,    but    tlie    alternate 
freezes  and  thaws  had  rendered  them  valueless. 
To  this  day  the  barren  fiat  where  the  McClelhm 
(•al)in  stood  is  known  as  the  Buffalo  Field.     It  is 
situated  on  high  ground  a  shoi't  distance  to  the 
east  of  the  old  distillery  ncai-  Troxelville.     The 


3f)  PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT 

date  of  the  aiiniliilatioii  of  thi'  last  bison  liord  is 
put  by  Bcrgstresser  at  Decembor  31,  171)1).  He 
comes  to  this  conclusion  as  he  always  heard  it 
was  "after  Christmas  and  before  the  New  Year." 
If  there  were  other  herds  from  the  AVestern  part 
of  the  State  wiped  out  at  about  this  time  or  later, 
the  writer  has  been  unable  to  obtain  an  inklino-. 
Most  piobably  they  were  driven  into  Ohio  and 
West  X'iriiinia  and  wei-e  annihilated.  Dr.  S<  liocpf 
journeyinji'  fioni  Ilaiiisbniii'  to  Pittsbuiji'  in 
1783  states  in  his  valuable  book,  "Ti-avels 
in  the  Confederation"  that  the  buffaloes  in 
the  vicinity  of  lMttsl)uiii  had  been  driven  to 
Ohio  befoi-e  his  arrival  in  the  future  "Smoky 
City."  However,  only  a  few  years  befoi-e,  bison 
were  found  in  lari!,('  numbers  on  liuffalo  Ci-eek 
in  liedfoi'd  County.  The  yeai-  171)5  maikcd  the 
dissappeai-ance  of  the  last  hei-ds  from  tlie  Xoi'th- 
western  ])ai-t  of  the  State,  and  the  mijiiations 
li'oiii  Lake  Erie  to  Southein  Pennsylvania  had 
ceased  before  the  "(Jreat  Knnaway"  on  the  \Vest 
Hranch  in  177S.  Doubtless  at  one  time,  prob- 
ably as  late  us  1770,  the  streams  of  bison  from 
New  Yoik  and  the  Ohio  Country  united  in  the 
Southei'U  T*ennsylvania  valleys  and  swarmed  in 
solid  phalanx  into  the  \\armei-  reiiions  of  the 
Carolinas  and  Tennessee,  each  winter.  Settle- 
ments in  Sontheiii  l*ennsyl\ania  checked  the 
mi<irations,  and  no  l>ison  moved  farthei-  Sonth 
than   .Middh'  Creek   \  aHev  attei-  that.     To  come 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT  37 


North  meant  death.  The  Seven  Mountains  be- 
came the  final  strono-hold  of  the  buffaloes  from 
the  North  and  Northwest  of  PeHusylvania. 
Gradually  these  were  killed  off,  or  perished  from 
severe  Avinters  and  lack  of  food.  The  herd  killed 
at  the  close  of  1799  were  probably  the  last,  except 
for  a  few  stragglers  remaining  in  the  State.  If 
they  had  not  blundered  into  the  valley  of  Middle 
Creek,  impelled  by  blind  instinct  and  starvation, 
they  might  have  lasted  a  score  of  years  longer,  or 
into  the  memory  of  men  now  living.  Their  ex- 
tinction therefore  was  en-masse,  and  not  gradual 
like  the  later  extermination  of  the  elk.  This  ac- 
cident caused  their  wiping  out,  as  they  were 
otherwise  as  able  to  care  for  themselves  as  the 
elks.  The  elks  traveled  in  herds,  migrated  be- 
tween the  Northern  mountains  and  Southern 
Valleys  in  Pennsylvania,  were  no  more  fleet  of 
foot  or  shy  than  the  buffaloes.  One  by  one  the 
elks  were  shot  out,  until  the  last  met  its  end  in 
the  Black  Gap,  on  October  1,  1878.  From  the 
point  wliere  ('apt.  Daniel  Engle  slew  the  last 
native  wibl  Klk  in  Pennsylvania  to  where  Col. 
Jolin  Kelly  killed  the  last  known  buffalo  on  Feb- 
ruary 19,  ISOl,  is  less  than  a  dozen  nnles  "as 
the  crow  flies."  These  noble  brutes  met  their 
end  bravely  amid  the  wild  scenery  they  loved 
so  well. 


38 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT 


VI     LAST  OF  HIS  RACE 


COL.  John  Kelly,  slayer  of  th(»  last  wild  buff- 
alo in  I'ciiiisylvaiua,  was  born  within  a 
stone's  throw  of  the  biithi)laee  of  Kobert 
Fulton,  in  Lancaster  County,  on  Feb.  11,  1744. 
Little  is  known  of  his  early  career  except  that  he 
chafed  at  the  monotony  of  life  in  a  settled  coun- 
try, and  longed  for  the  "sweet  danj^crs"  of  the 
frontier.  In  17()S  he  removed  to  Buffalo  Valley, 
which  had  Ion**  been  noted  as  a  feeding  liionnd 
for  vast  liei-ds  of  bison.  IJnffalo  Creek,  which 
flowed  tlnouuh  the  vjiUev.  was  the  favorite  bath- 
ing place  for  the  ''vanished  millions."  Numbers 
of  these  noble  brutes  always  summered  on  liulf- 
alo  Mountain.    Six  feet  tall,  with  sandy  haii-,  and 


GRAVE  OF   COL.   JOHN  KELLY, 

In  New  Cemetery  At  Lewisburg. 

(From  Photo  by  J.  Herbert  Walker.) 


COL.  KELLY  HOMESTEAD. 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT  39 


blue  eyes,  John  Kelly  made  an  ideal  pioneer.    He 
never  knew  such  a  tliin"  as  fatiiiue  or  discourajie- 
ment.     He  became  a  famous  Indian  fi.uhter,  and 
is  said  to  have  had  one  hundred  -nicks"  on  his 
trusty   rifle,   indicatino    the   number  of   redmen 
whom  he  made  "bite  the  dust."    Many  anecdotes 
are  told  of  his  prowess  in  battling  with  the  fierce 
sava«ies.     They  are  anion"  the  most  thiilling-  in 
the  annals  of  Indian  warfare.     When  the  Rev- 
olutionary War  broke  out,  he  was  among  the  first 
to  enlist  for  the  colonists.   Being  rapidly  promot- 
ed for  bravery,  he  soon    attained    the    rank    of 
Colonel.     His  bravery  at  the  battle  of  Princeton 
was  conspicious.     After  the  Kevolution,     he     re- 
turned to  his  comfortable  homestead  in  what  is 
now  Kelly     Township,     ITnion     County.     There 
were  still  a  few  marauding  Indians  to  kill,  but 
he  devoted  his  time  principally  to  farming  and 
hunting  big  game.     His  specialty  was  buffaloes, 
and  his  fri(Mids  stated  that  he  killed  over  a  luind- 
i-ed  of  these  animals.     The  stories  of  some  of  his 
hunts  have  been  InnKh'd  down  to  us  by  Michael 
(Ji-ove,  one  of  the  pionccis  of  P>uffalo  N'allcy  who 
died   in    1S27.      Late   in    the    fall    of    IS(M).   after 
the    tirst    snowfall,    wliile    out    with    one   of    his 
neighbors,  Michael    M<(  Mister,  looking   for   wolf 
tracks,  he  noticed  thi-ee  ])Uffaloes.  a  bull,  a  cow 
and  a  calf,  at  the  edge  of  a   wood  in  one  of  his 
clearings.     This    cieaiing    is    a     sh(»rl      distance 
south  o\'  the  Kelly  lunne.     McClistei-  tired,  killing 


40  PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT 


the  calf,  but  the  bull  and  cow  escaped  into  the 
forest.  This  pair,  which  were  of  enormous  size, 
were  noticed  from  time  to  time  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, but  manaiied  to  elude  their  pursueis.  But 
it  seemed  as  if  fate  was  preservinji  this,  the  last 
of  the  bison  in  Pennsylvania,  to  fall  to  the  un- 
erring? bullet  of  the  inti'epid  Colonel.  On  (he 
mornin<»-  of  January  19,  1801,  Kelly  was  riding' 
horseback  on  his  way  to  mill,  mounted  of  "Bran- 
dywine,"  his  old  char«>er  of  the  Revolution.  It 
was  a  misty  moininu,  and  had  not  his  horse 
snorted  he  wouhl  have  ridden  scpiai-ely  into  a 
mammoth  buffalo  bull  which  com])letely  blocked 
the  narrow  crossroads.  Kelly  dismounted  from 
his  horse,  and  takinu  leisui-ely  aim,  shot  the 
bison  thi'OU<ih  the  heart.  The  spot  where  this 
buffalo  was  killed,  which  ])i()ved  to  be  the  last  of 
its  species  shot  in  Pennsylvania  in  a  wild  state, 
as  far  as  proved,  became  known  as  Buffalo  Cross- 
Roads.  The  huj»e  skull,  nailed  to  a  pitch-pine 
tree,  was  a  familiar  landmark  for  many  years. 
About  1S20,  it  was  blown  from  the  tree  in  a  .uale, 
bein«i  ])icked  up  by  one  of  the  Kleckner  childi-en, 
relatives  of  the  Kelly's,  and  for  half  a  century 
reposed  in  the  «ia!-ret  of  the  Kh'ckner  homestead 
in  the  vicinity  of  liuffalo  Cross-Roads.  When 
the  mansion  was  remodeled  some  yeais  ajio,  a 
careless  house-cleaner  thiew  the  hoins  into  a 
basket  oC  trash,  and  they  wcic  buincd  in  a  bon- 
fire in  the  yaid  before  their  value  was  ascertain- 


PENNSYLVANIA  BTSON  HUNT  -il 


ed.    A  slightly  differcMit  vorsion  from  the  lips  of 
a  Dr.  Bock,  is  recordod  in  Prof.  Allou's  ''History 
of  the  American  Bison,"  page  485.     The   bnffalo 
cow   which   escaped   McClister   and   Col.    Kelly 
in    1800   nltimately   took   refngv   in    th(>    "tight 
(Mid"    of   Bnffalo    Valley.     There   in     the   wild- 
erness, it  defied  its    pnrsuers  for  several  yeais. 
Jonas    J.    Barnett,    aged    77    years    a   splendid 
old    gentleman     residing     at     AVeikert,     Union 
County,  informed  the  writer  that  his  great  uncle, 
Jacob  Weikert,  who  settled  on  the  site  of  the 
town  bearing  his  name  in  1800,  went  after  this 
bnffalo  repeatedly,  at  last  driving  it  out  of  the 
valley  in  the  direction  of  Lewistown.     Thus  the 
ultimate  fate  of  the  really  last  buffalo  in  Penn- 
sylvania is   unknown,   unless   later   research   in 
Mimin  County  will  bring  it  to  light.     A  buffalo 
is  said  to  have  been  killed  on  Buffalo  Run,  Cen- 
tre County  (near  Hunter's  Park).     This  might 
have  been  the  same  animal.    The  career  of  Jacob 
Weikert  reads  like  romance.    He  was  a  native  of 
P,(n-ks  County,  but  preferring  life  in  the  unset- 
tled regions,  nioved  into  the  "narrow  point"  of 
Buffalo  Valley.    For  seven  years,  he  was  unable 
to  keep  hogs  on  his  place,  owing  to  the  depreda 
tions  of  panthers.     All  told,  he  piobably  killed 
over  one  thousand  panthers,  wolves  and  liears. 
as  well  as  countless  deer  and  other  game.     The 
Kelly  homestead  was  remodelled  in  1914.     The 
giant  open  fire-idaces  where  the  old  pioneei-  sat 


42  PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT 

oil  winter  evenings  and  told  Indian  and  luinting 
stories  were  torn  away,  and  the  attic  stripped  of 
relics.  It  is  said  that  the  horns  of  several 
buffaloes  killed  by  Col.  Kelly  prior  to  1800  hung 
there  for  many  years,  but  the  writer,  who  visited 
the  spot  while  the  remodelling  was  in  progress, 
accom])anied  by  Mr.  S.  N.  Rhoads,  the  Philadel- 
phia naturalist,  could  not  learn  if  they  had  been 
desti'oyed  or  lost.  As  few  horns  were  preserved 
as  trophies  by  the  old  timers,  it  was  an  unsenti- 
mental age,  it  would  be  unusual  if  these  priceless 
souvenirs  had  been  kept.  In  the  field  east  of  the 
KeMy  mansion  is  the  grave  of  an  Indian  Avho 
came  very  near  to  putting  an  end  to  the  Colonel's 
life.  Years  after  the  revolution,  when  Kelly  was 
seated  one  fine  June  evening  on  his  porch,  he 
noticed  something  stir  behind  a  large  gum  tree  in 
his  pasture-lot.  As  he  never  moved  without  his 
trusted  rifle,  he  lifted  it  to  a  position  (luickly,  in 
time  to  let  fiy  a  ball  at  the  head  of  a  redskin  as 
he  ])oked  it  out  for  a  moment  from  behind  the 
tree.  Before  the  savage  could  discharge  his  fire- 
arm, he  was  a  dead  Indian.  Not  wishing  to  ter- 
lify  his  women  folks,  Kelly  stro(h'  down  to  the 
l>astui(',  and  with  the  aid  of  a  manure-fork,  bur- 
ie<l  tlie  Indian,  whom  he  recognized  as  Hull 
Head,  so  named  on  account  of  his  broad  skull, 
and  a  redman  who  cherished  an  old  grudge 
against  him.  One  Christmas  day,  a  few  years  lat- 
er, when  Col.    K<'llv*s  "landcliildrcii  and    "iicat- 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT  43 

jiraiidchildren  were  plaviiig  in  the  yard,  a  hunt- 
ing- dog  ran  up  with  the  Indian's  skull  in  his 
mouth.  There  was  great  excitement  for  a  time, 
to  he  sure.  Explanations  being  necessary,  the  old 
Indian  fighter  retailed  the  episode  to  his  family 
circle  that  evening  as  they  were  gathered  around 
the  inglenook.  Col.  Kelly  was  fond  of  young  peo- 
ple, and  until  within  four  years  of  his  death  was 
known  as  the  most  accomplished  dancer  iu  Buffa- 
lo ^^llley.  He  died  on  February  18, 18:^2,  aged  88 
years.  His  lemains  i-est  under  a  handsome  monu- 
ment in  the  picturescpie  New  Cemetery  at  Lewis- 
burg.  His  grave  has  been  a  favorite  shrine  for- 
lovers  of  history  and  sport,  and  for  years  it  was 
pointed  out  to  visitors  by  the  late  lamented  sex- 
ton of  the  cemetery,  Capt.  W.  L.  Donachy.  As  far 
as  is  known,  no  portrait  of  Col.  Kelly  exists.  His 
descendants  aver  that,  like  William  Penn,  the 
iiiighty  buffalo  hunter  steadfastly  refused  to  have 
his  portrait  painted.  There  is  a  rumor,  however, 
that  a  travelling  German  artist  sketched  him 
unawares  at  the  request  of  one  of  his  sons.  Thei-e 
ai*e  some  persons  who  claim  to  have  seen  this 
likeness,  and  they  say  that  it  shows  a  man  stri- 
kingly like  George  Washington  in  contour  of 
features.  Such  a  portrait  if  in  existence  now 
would  be  of  priceless  value,  and  diligent  search 
should  be  made  for  it,  and  it  should  be  deposited 
in  the  State  Museum  at  Harrisburg. 


44 


PKXXSYLVANIA  BISON  IK 'XT 


->*•» 


RE-IXTIWnUCTrOX 


FOR  noarly  half  a  eontiiry  Peiiiisylvaiiia 
enjoyed  the  inclaiicholy  distinction  of  b('in«> 
the  leadinii  tanninu  iiiound  foi*  western 
bnfPalo  hi(h's.  From  a])ont  1845  to  1885,  it  is 
estimated  that  one  million  bison  hides  were  tan- 
ned in  this  State,  mostly  at  the  l)i<>  tannery  at 
Wilcox,  Elk  Connty.  Many  hides  were  sent  there 
to  be  tanned  and  sold,  in  conse(|uence  of  which 
ihcy  became  a  drnji  on  the  local  market.  They 
weic  sold  to  nei«ihb()rin<>  Inmbermen  and  farmers 
at  ILM)  pel-  l)al(',  a  bale  containinii  12  hides.  Thei-e 
arc  still  a  few  of  these  hides  to  be  ])icked  up 
about  Wilcox,  those  in  i^ood  condition  brin.uinj; 
never  less  tlian  f5()  ajtiece.  All  throuiih  IVnn- 
syhania  bulTalo  i-obes  were  familiar  sights  in 
farmhouses,  in  lixciy  stables,  and  sleiiihs,  until 
veiy    i('<cn1ly.      Xoa\     Ihey     are    scar<('.    except 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT  45 


pcrliaps   in     Snyder    County.     Tho    writer  has 
a    magnificent   robe   purchased   from   the  estate 
of  the  late  Cornelius  Crondey,  of  Clinton  County, 
who  had  bought  it  in   1880  from  John  Wana- 
maker  of  Pliiladelphia  at  the  price  of  |3.5().    But 
the  re-introduction  of  the  buffalo  in  living  form 
will  be  more  interesting  to  the  readers  of  these 
pages.    Shortly  after  the  Civil  War,  a  number  of 
bison  were  shipped  to  this  State,  butchered  and 
served  at  barbecues.    One  of  the  most  famous  of 
these  was  when  a  Kansas  buffalo  weighing  a  ton 
was  slaughtered  at   Beading  at  a  big  political 
barbecue  during  the  Tilden  campaign  of  187(5. 
A  live  buffalo  calf  was  shipjH'd  from  Nebraslca 
to  Abe   Sheesley   of  Jersey   Shore   in    1870,   and 
for  a  year  or  two  made  a  gentle  and  affectionate 
pet.     During  the  running  season  in  the  animal's 
third  year,  he  jumped  fences,  butted  down  small 
buiblings,  chased  dogs  and  children,  making  him- 
self  generally   obnoxious.     Finally   the   animal 
was  chained  in  a  stable  where  he  was  kept  for 
several  years.     He  was  mated  with  several  cows 
of  the  domestic  variety,  and  his  offspring  were 
said  to  be  handsome  creatures.     Unfortunately, 
they  had  little  res])ect  for  fences  or  enclosuies, 
and  generally  had  to  be  killed  wlien  two  or  three 
years  old.     Mr.   Sheesley  iK'came  tired  of  his  un- 
manageable pet,  and  had  him  ])utchei<'(l.     The 
animal    weighed    dressed    a    ton,    and    tlie    good 
people  of  Jersey  Shore  and  Chatham's  Kim  hv- 


46  PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT 


sei}?e(l  biitclKM-  W.  H.  Sclnvor's  travclliiiii;  market 
wagon  to  taste  the  tiesh  of  tlie  late  inonarch  of  the 
plains.  The  horns  adorned  the  Sheesley  home  for 
many  years.  In  Col.  .John  (J.  Millias'  interestinjr 
book  "British  Deer  and  Their  Horns,"is  an  anms- 
inji  aceonnt  of  a  herd  of  buffaloes  ex])oited  from 
the  United  States  to  Scotland  by  Sii-  William 
Stewait,  who  seived  at  the  Battle  of  Waterloo.  It 
is  as  follows:  ''Sir  William  was  one  of  the  first 
men  'out  west'  and  his  life  was  a  complete  ro- 
mance. Certain  as])ersions  were  cast  on  his 
pluck  aftei-  Waterloo,  and  to  show  that  they 
were  false  he  went  out  to  the  Rocky  Mountains 
and  lived  amongst  the  Sioux  for  five  years.  There 
he  became  a  first-class  bandit,  but  displayed  su<h 
couiaiic  that  they  made  him  a  chief.  ^V('a^•yin^i 
of  his  wild  life,  he  returned  to  Murthly,  l)rin<iin«» 
with  him  however,  almost  a  dozen  of  his  pals 
amongst  the  Sioux  and  a  herd  of  Buffaloes.  The 
latter  he  lodged  in  a  beautiful  ])ai"k  at  Rohallion, 
surrounding  it  with  a  stone  wall  seven  feet  high 
and  with  a  wire  fence  on  top  of  that.  If  my 
leader  is  a  lover  of  Punch,  which  he  is  pretty 
sure  to  be,  he  will  recollect  a  diawing  by  John 
Leech  of  Mr.  Briggs  being  taken  through  Hulfalo 
Talk  by  his  friend.  Tiiat  friend  was  my  father 
(Sir  .John  K.  Millais).  and  Mr.  Biiggs  was  of 
course  Leech  himself.  I  have  often  heard  the 
story  of  iliai  day  amongst  the  buffaloes.  By  and 
by  the  l)ufTal<>es  died  off  oi-  were  killed,  and  the 


JONAS  J.  BARNET, 
grand-nephew  of  Jacob  Weikert, 
one  of  the  Last  Hunters  of  Bison 
in  Pennsylvania. 


IT" 

o 
o 

w 

n 
!z! 
Q 

a 
o 

w 

> 
f 
O 

> 

1-3 

w 


o 

o 

o 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT  47 


last  old  bull  broke  out  of  the  park  somehow,  and 
meeting  the  mail  coach  going  north,  proceeded 
to  knock  the  stuffin'  out  of  the  horses.    But  there 
was  an  unfeeling  man  on  the  coach  who  had  a 
rifle  and  no  sense  of  humor,  so  the  last  of  the 
Scotch  buffaloes  had  to  go/'    In  various  Zoolog- 
ical   (Jardens   in    Pennsylvania,   buffaloes   have 
thriven  remarkably  well.     The  Philadelphia  Zoo 
in  Fairmount  Park,  which  was  founded  in  1859, 
and  opened  to  the  public  in  1874,  has  usually 
maintained  a  group  of  about  a  dozen  head.     In 
188(),  the  Gardens  sold  an  adult  bull  and  cow  to 
Col.  W.  F.  Cody  (Buffalo  Bill)  for  |30().    At  the 
Zoo  in    Highland    Park,    Pittsburg,    at  present 
there   are   two   young   female   bison,   purchased 
last  year  from  Earl  E.  Bennett,  Newport,  N.  H. 
A  male  from  Yellowstone  Park,  is  shortly  to  be 
added  to  this  herd.    At   the   Reading   Zoo   there 
are    no   buffaloes    at    present,    but    as    soon    as 
an  appropriation     can     be     secured     for     their 
maintenance,  a  cow  and  bull    will     be     shipped 
there     from      Yellowstone      Park.     In      several 
private     parks      in      different      i)aits      of      the 
State  buffaloes  are  kept,  notably  at  the  magnif- 
icent  game  preserve  of  Col.   Harry  (\   TicxUm-, 
"The  Cement  King,"  near  Allentown,  wliere  Ihere 
is  a  hei'd  of  20  of  these  noble  brutes.     As  game 
animals,    the   buffaloes    will    piobably    nevei-    l)e 
i-e-introdnced    in    Pennsylvania,    although    their 
docile    habits    and    liaidv    natures    wonbl    make 


48  PENNSYLVANIA  BI80N  H^NT 


tliciii  adiiptablc  in  some  of  the  wilder  sections  of 
the  State.  Perhaps  witli  the  s]>rea(l  of  the  hoof 
and  luoutli  disease  and  bovine  tn1)ei(nlosis,  a 
sentiment  in  favor  of  fnll-])red  or  half-bred  bison 
to  replace  the  present  breeds  of  domestic  cattle 
will  be  instituted.  The  bison  are  not  subject  to 
these  diseases,  and  would  Hurish  on  the  aban- 
doned slashinjis  and  bare  mountain  t()i)S  in  the 
Pennsylvania  wilds,  iierks  County  farmers  have 
been  talking  about  startino-  to  ])astnre  herds  of 
steers  on  the  Blue  Mountains,  but  buffaloes 
would  be  hardier  and  moic  remunerative. 
Ketween  ISTO  and  1875  it  is  conservatively  esti- 
mated that  one  million  wild  buffoloes  weic  killed 
annually  in  the  west.  Most  of  these  were  wast- 
ed, and  theii-  hides  flittered  away  for  paltry 
sums.  May  the  day  come  when  a  like  numl)er  of 
tame  bison  aic  butchei-ed  in  Pennsylvania  to  our 
citizens'  advantage.  Albert  (Jalletin,  the  tiimn- 
cier,  of  New  Geneva,  Fayette  County,  wrote  ( on- 
sidei-able  about  the  domestication  ol  the  bison, 
which  he  believed  was  entirely  feasable.  He  said 
that  many  had  been  kept  and  successfidly  bi-ed 
by  farmers  South  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line.  At 
one  peiiod  for  eight  months  he  lived  otf  buffalo 
meat,  and  enjoyed  it.  He  also  believed  in  the 
jMaetiitility  of  crossing  bison  with  domestic  cat- 
tle and  mentioned  a  farmer  living  on  the  Monon- 
uahela  River  who  owned  a  large  bullalo  bull 
whicli  he  allowed  to  roam  at  larue  with  his  farm 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT  49 

cattle  and  which  was  "no  more  dangerous  to  man 
than  any  bull  of  the  common  species."  Mr.  J.  W. 
Cunningham,  of  Erie,  formerly  of  Howard  Coun- 
ty, Nebraska,  successfully  experimented  with 
ci-ossinj>-  bison  and  domestic  cattle. 


M) 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HINT 


•in-* 


DAyJKI.  OTT 


GKANDSOX  of  Gooriio  Ott,  one  of  tlio  oii«>iii- 
al  l)uffal()  limit  (MS  ol'  (Vntral  Ponusylvania 
and  himself  slayer  of  iiiaiiy  hundreds  of  hi- 
son  on  the  ])lains  of  the  (Jreat  West,  Daniel  Ott 
of  Selin's  (Jrove,  Snyder  County,  is  one  of  the 
histoiieally  noteworthy  iKMsonaiics  of  the  Key- 
stone State.  Ill  (•(Hiii)any  with  Hon.  (Jeoriic  W. 
Wa^cnsellei-,  editor  of  the  Middlebur^  I*ost,  and 
.1.  lleibeit  Walkei-,  associate  editor  of  the  Lewis- 
burj»-  Journal,  the  writei-  recently  visited  the  ven- 
e?-able  iiiiiiiod  at   liis  eozv  honif  on  llie  oulskii'ts 


DANIEL  OTT, 


Born  May  27,  1820, 

A  Penn-jylvanian   Who  Has  Killed  Many  Buffaloes 

in  The  West. 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT  51 


of  the  quaint  old  town  of  Selin's  Grove.   Nimble 
and  mentally  alert,  despite  his  95  years,  the  old 
hunter,  who  is  still  a  handsome  man  and  has  the 
a(iuiline  nose  and  tight  drawn  lips  which  are 
usually   signs  of  character,   greeted  his   guests 
cordially,  and  unfolded  to  them  the  marvelous 
story  of  his  life.     Frefiuently  during  the  narra- 
tive he  told  jokes,  which  convulsed  his  hearers, 
and  his  fine  amber  colored  eyes,  as  clear  as  those 
of  the  poet  Keats,  were  alive  with  keenness  and 
humor.    Daniel  Ott  was  born  in  Selin's  Grove  on 
May  27,  1820,  being  the  son  of  Daniel  Ott,  Sr., 
(1784-1852)  and  grandson  of  George  Ott,  (1745- 
1814) ,  one  of  the  original  pioneers  on  the  Karoon- 
dinha,  noAV  known  as  Penn's  (^reek.    George  Ott, 
who  was  a  native  of  Chester  County,  took  up  400 
aci-es  of  wild  land  in  what  is  now  Snyder  County 
in    1700,  when   that   region  still   abounded  with 
wild  beasts  and  roving  Indians.     In  Daniel  Ott's 
own  words  let  him  describe  his  thiilling  life's 
pilgrimage.     "I  was  born  in  the  house  where  I 
now  leside,  and  am  of  Dutch  and  English  an- 
cestry.   I\ly  father  and  grandfather,  the  pioneeis, 
wei'e  not  hunters  in  the  modern  meaning  of  the 
wold,  as  the  game  came  U])  to  their  doors  to  be 
shot,     liul'faloes  and  other  gar>ie  were  ])lentirul 
north  of  .Jack's  Mountain  when  they  came  into 
this  country.     When   I  was  a  boy  wolves  wcic 
numerous,  and  at  night  we  could  hcai-  Ihem  liowl- 
ing  from  the  summits  of  the  Spangenlx'i-g  and 
Ihc  Mahanov  Mountain,  and  thev  even   howled 


52  PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT 

from  tlic  top  of  the  Uluc  Hill  at  the  jj^ood  people 
across  the  river  at  Sunbury.  In  those  early  days, 
I  killed  and  helped  to  kill  many  wolves,  they 
were  grayer  in  color  than  the  ones  I  afterwards 
met  with  in  the  west.  T  hnnted  all  kinds  of  game 
in  Pennsylvania  and  was  a  fisherman  as  Avell.  I 
have  killed  too  many  deer  to  count  them,  the  first 
when  I  was  a  mere  boy,  and  the  last  when  I  was 
eighty  years  old  I  bronght  down  on  Jack's 
Mountain.  The  horns  of  that  stag  I  still  have. 
I  was  a  good-sized  boy  when  Halley's  comet  ap- 
peared in  1834 ;  I  saw  it  again  70  years  later  in 
1 1)10.  I  saw  the  famous  falling  stars  one  night  in 
1885.  In  the  White  Mountains,  back  of  Jack's 
Mountain,  I  once  killed  a  half  deer  half  elk.  It 
had  one  horn  like  a  deer  and  the  other  like  an 
elk,  and  di-essed  over  200  pounds.  In  addition 
to  wolves  and  deer  I  killed  many  bears,  cata- 
mounts, and  wild  cats.  On  two  occasions,  I  came 
face  to  face  with  big  panthers,  but  they  eluded 
me.  The  flights  of  wild  pigeons  which  used  to 
come  to  Selin's  Grove  darkened  the  sun.  I  have 
trapped  1300  wild  ])igeons  in  one  day.  The  nest- 
ing grounds  of  the  wild  pigeons  were  arranged 
with  military  precision.  Sometimes  they  were 
in  the  sha])e  of  scjuaT-es,  other  times  circles.  The 
ti-ees  maiking  the  boundary  had  no  nests  on  the 
bi-anches  outside  the  line.  It  was  si  range  to  see 
trees  full  of  nests  on  one  side  and  with  none  on 
the  odicr.      I    remember  when  the  Sus(juehanna 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT  53 


RivcM-     and     IVmiu's     Creek     Avere     alive     with 
shad.      That     was     before     the     days     of     pol- 
lution    from    the    tanneries    and  ijaper    mills. 
I  have  cauf>ht  500  shad  at  a  single  haul.    When  I 
was  a  boy,  there  were  still  a  few  Indians  in  this 
countiy ;  they  used  to  ti-avel  along-  the  river  bank, 
and  rest  under  the  big  trees  in  the  shade.     In 
1841  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  I  would  like 
to  visit  the  big  game  regions  of  the  West.     As 
there  were  no  railroads  and  stage  travelling  was 
expensive  I  resolved  to   set   out   on   foot.      The 
stages  and  freighters   which    crossed   the   Alle- 
ghanies  were  diawn  by  the  now  extinct  Tone- 
stoga  horses.     The  Conestoga  horses  Avere  better 
looking  than  any  draft  animals  of  the  present 
day.     They  were  chunky  built,  with  full  necks, 
sliort  heads,  and  fine  full  eyes.     Although  they 
would  weigh  on  the  average  1200  pounds  they  did 
not  stand  over  15  :2  hands.    They  had  ])articular- 
ly  good  hoofs,  much  like  those  of  the  fast  travel- 
ing PercluMons.     I  walked  from  Selin's  Grove  to 
the  P>ig  ^'alley,  to  Bedford,  to  AVheeling,  to  Col- 
umbus, to  Dayton,  across  the  Black  Swam])  on 
the  Corduroy    Road    to    Indianapolis.     The    In- 
diana  capital    then   consisted   of  a    few   wooden 
houses  and  was  surrounded  by  magnificent  hai-d- 
wood  forests.    Deer,  wolves,  and  coyotes  abound- 
ed.    Raccoons  were  a   nusiauce  to  the  settlers. 
One  night  with  several  friemls  I  was  out  hunting 
'coons  along  the  White  Rivei-,  when  we  became 


54  PP^XXSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT 

lost  in  the  woods.  We  ^ot  in  a  liollow 
buttonwood  ticc  for  safety,  and  none  too 
soon,  for  we  were  surrounded  by  a  yelp- 
inji'  pack  of  coyotes,  which  kept  us  piisoners  un- 
til dayllyht.  West  of  Indianapolis  was  a  wild 
piairie  couutry,  where  wolves  roamed,  and  where 
there  were  millions  ol  ])raii'ie  chickens.  I  de- 
cided to  walk  to  Sprin^tield,  which  I  found  to  be 
a  small  villaiic  like  Indianapolis.  Abe  Lincoln 
was  theie,  carelessly  dressed  and  ungainly,  a 
familial-  tigui-e  about  the  streets.  The  inaccess- 
ability  of  the  countiy  between  Indianapolis  and 
Spriniifield  led  me  to  say  to  my  companion  'No- 
body will  evei-  live  in  this  reiiion,  it  is  too  hard  to 
reach  with  sn])plies.'  West  of  Springfield  in 
Missouri,  there  were  still  great  herds  of  buffaloes 
and  antelo])es.  I  decided  to  walk  to  (Miicago, 
through  the  wild  parairie  region.  lOach  night  I 
trusted  to  reach  some  settler's  cabin,  as  I  hated 
to  sleep  out  on  the  plains  oii  account  of  the 
wolves  and  coyotes.  I  saw  coyotes  and  i)rairie 
chickens  on  the  outskirts  of  the  Windy  City. 
When  I  got  there  I  found  only  a  single  line  of 
fiame  houses,  one  story  and  one  story  and  a  half 
high,  facing  the  Lake  on  what  is  now  Michigan 
Avenue.  It  was  a  dreary  place,  so  I  struck  out 
foi-  Indianapolis,  which  town  I  liked  veiy  much. 
1  travelh'd  thiough  the  West  for  a  luuMber  (►f 
years,  my  exiieiiences  would  fill  a  book,  meeting 
Indians,  trach'is  and  lunilcrs  and   killing  mn<h 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT  55 

game  myself.  In  the  licight  of  the  buffalo  ex- 
citeiiuMit  I  organized  a  hide  Imiiting  expedition 
to  go  to  the  T'anhandle  district  in  Texas,  where 
herds  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  these  noble 
animals  roamed  the  plains.  Our  outfit  left 
Dodge  City,  which  is  in  Ford  County,  Kansas, 
and  lieaded  Soutli.  Dodge  City  was  in  tliose  days 
(in  the  early  seventies,)  one  of  the  headciuaiters 
of  the  buffalo  trade.  Piles  of  hides  a  liundred 
feet  high  were  stacked  in  all  parts  of  the  town. 
Only  the  choicest  hides,  those  from  the  cows  and 
heifers,  were  used  for  lobes,  the  tough  hides  of 
the  old  bulls  went  for  belting.  AVe  were  sot)H  in 
the  buffalo  country,  as  the  plains  were  covered 
with  the  carcasses  of  dead  bison.  Some  were 
killed  for  ''fun'"  and  never  even  skinned,  others 
had  their  hides  stripped  off  and  left  for  the 
u'olves.  We  could  see  where  they  had  been  kill- 
ed in  former  years,  as  where  they  laid  the  buffa- 
lo grass  died,  and  weeds  sprang  up,  and  tlu' 
skulls  aiid  horns  were  mournful  relics  of  man's 
wastefulness.  When  we  cami)ed  at  night  bands 
()('  noisy  coyotes  came  close  to  our  cam])s,  and  1 
siiot  many  of  them.  When  they  barked,  the  large 
grey  wolves  often  answered  them,  but  the  big 
wolves  were  shy  and  we  seldo.ii  s:nv  them.  In 
Indian  Territory  now  Oklahoma,  neai'  the  Cim- 
arron Kiver,  I  saw  a  hei-d  of  wihl  horses.  They 
weic  the  most  beautiful  animals  I  have  ever  seen. 
They  were  blood  bays,  with  black  manes  and  tails. 


56  PKXXSYLVAXIA  lilSON  JUXT 


Their  heads  wviv  small,  (heir  cars  short,  and 
they  stood  liij-hcr  in  front  than  in  back.  My 
conipanions  wanted  to  shoot  them,  but  I  told 
tliem  not  to,  as  it  would  be  a  shame  to  kill  such 
handsome  creatures  for  no  good  purpose.  Mean- 
while the  i>rand  stallion  which  led  them,  si<>hted 
us,  snorted,  which  was  th(^  signal  to  the  herd  to 
make  off,  and  they  staited  away  in  sini^le  file  at 
a  trot.  Buffaloes  always  run  with  the  wind, 
nothing  can  turn  them.  The  aim  of  the  hunters 
is  to  get  them  off  the  wind  ap])roach  close  and 
shoot  tliem.  The  first  herd  we  surprised  w<1s 
given  the  signal  by  a  big  bull,  and  started  for  us. 
We  waved  our  ha^s  as  they  came  near,  but  they 
would  not  turn  from  their  course.  Fearing  that 
they  would  run  us  down,  we  took  to  our  heels. 
As  the  big  brutes  ])assed,  my  conii)anion,  (Jeorge 
Harrison,  fired  a  dozen  shots  into  them.  1  asked 
him  why  he  lired  at  them  when  he  knew  he  could 
not  kill  them.  He  said  he  did  it  because  they 
'kicked  so  funny'  when  hit.  I  told  him  that  the 
buffaloes  so  wounded  would  die  a  lingering  death 
on  the  piaiiie,  would  be  eaten  l)y  the  wolves  and 
their  hides  wasted.  Harrison  said  he  had  never 
thought  of  that  before.  Ever  after  I  made  it  the 
rule  of  our  exix'dition  only  to  kill  such  hnlTaloes 
as  we  could  use  the  hides,  or  in  self-defense.  As 
for  ai-ms,  our  expedition  u.scd  Shaip's  Needle 
(Juns,  which  were  calculated  to  carry  a  one  ounce 
ball  1000  yards.  Some  hunters  used  brcccli  load- 
ing IT.  S.   Muskets  or  Winchester  ritlcs.      In   llic 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HUNT  57 


fall  of  the  year  when  we  did  most  of  our  killing' 
the  small  family  groups  of  buffaloes  were  begin- 
ning to  come  together  in  the  vast  herds  which 
assembled  during  the  winter  months  for 
nuitual  protection.  In  the  Summer  they  sep- 
arated into  parties  of  about  one  hundred  animals 
each,  and  slept,  pastured  and  travelled  in  such 
groups.  Every  party  of  buffaloes  had  their 
watchers,  which  gave  the  signal  of  the  approach 
of  human  or  animal  foes,  while  the  others  rested 
or  munched  the  sweet  buffalo  grass.  We  stalked 
our  buffaloes,  crawling  along  through  the  grass 
until  w^e  got  near  them,  then  before  we  could  be 
seen,  as  w^e  approached  "off"  the  wind,  we  select- 
ed our  victims  and  fired.  We  always  carried 
five  skinners  to  one  killer,  as  it  took  a  great 
amount  of  care  to  scrape  all  the  fat  off  the  hides, 
and  unless  this  was  done,  they  were  hard  to  keep. 
The  air  in  the  buffalo  country  was  so  dry  that  no 
odor  emanated  from  the  carcasses  which  strewed 
the  plains,  looking  in  the  distance  like  hillocks. 
At  nightfall,  the  hordes  of  w^olves  drawn  to  the 
neighborhood  by  the  food,  feasted  and  fought 
over  the  remains.  At  our  camps  we  made  our 
fires  with  buffalo  chips  which  furnished  a  clean 
and  very  hot  fire.  We  usually  selected  a  hole  in 
the  turf  made  by  the  buffalo's  hoofs,  laid  a  sheet 
of  news])aper  at  the  bottom  of  the  hole,  and 
placed  the  chips  on  to]).  Then  wx^  touched  a 
match  to  the  ])aper.  soon  having  a  splendid  blaz.e. 


7)A  PEXXSYLVAXIA  BISON  PIFNT 

The  size  of  the  buffalo  bulls  was  onoruious.  They 
would  average  over  a  thousand  pounds,  and 
some  weighed  close  to  a  ton.  They  were  covered 
with  layer  after  layer  of  thick  fat.  When  we 
collected  as  many  hides  as  we  could  transport  on 
our  wagons,  we  started  for  Dodge  City,  where 
we  sold  the  hides  at  an  average  price  of  two  dol- 
lars apiece.  We  generally  took  a  ton  of  selected 
buffalo  meat  with  us  on  our  northern  journeys. 
On  oui-  trips  we  met  many  Indians,  Coman- 
ches,  Cherokees,  Arapahoes,  Cheyennes,  and 
so  on.  They  all  chided  us  for  our  wholesale 
killing  of  what  they  called  their  cattle.  They 
were  particularly  upset  over  the  white  man's 
wasteful  methods  of  killing  the  bison.  They  on- 
ly killed  what  they  absolutely  needed,  they  main- 
tained. Many  persons  have  wondered  why  the 
Ignited  States  (Jovernment  nia(h'  no  effort  to  stop 
the  killing  of  the  buffaloes  on  Uncle  Sam's 
Farm  as  the  boundless  plains  were  called.  The 
(rovernment  in  those  days  could  not  control  the 
Indians,  it  had  its  hands  full  there,  consecpiently, 
a  'side  issue'  like  game  protection  was  out  of  the 
(juestion.  Hul  it  was  a  great  pity,  as  the  buffa- 
loes might  have  become  the  cattle  of  the  West,  as 
they  weie  haidier  than  any  of  the  varieties 
bi(»ught  there.  1  saw  many  long-hoi'ued  Texas 
steels.  They  were  wonderful  animals,  and  adapt- 
e<l  themselves  to  local  conditions;  it  is  a  i)ity 
their  stock  has  bci-n  allowed  to  die  out.     On  the 


PENNSYLVANIA  BLSON  HUNT  59 

plains  with  the  buffaloes  Avere  vast  herds  of 
pronji-hoiiied  antelopes.  We  killed  many  of 
these  as  their  tlesh  was  "ood  and  their  hides  were 
of  some  value.  Many  hunters  killed  them  for 
sport,  firinji'  into  the  herds  at  random,  and  let- 
ting the  poor  creatures  die  liniierino'  deaths.  I 
am  ulad  I  hunted  buffaloes,  and  while  I  killed  a 
fii-eat  number,  I  do  not  have  it  on  my  soul  that  I 
killed  a  single  one  for  sport.  All  I  killed  were 
used  as  much  as  possible.  I  cut  out  the  best 
meat,  and  saved  and  sold  the  hides.  I  tried  to  in- 
duce the  othei-  hunters  to  be  less  wasteful,  and 
think  I  had  influence  with  some  of  them.  I  had 
an  experience  that  I  would  not  exchange  with 
anyone  in  the  world.  As  I  sit  hei-e,  h)oking  down 
Ihe  river  to  the  towering  Mahanoy,  I  think  liow 
things  have  changed.  All  the  big  timber  which 
coveied  the  Mahanoy  Kange  is  gone,  and  theie  is 
no  game  here  any  more  worthy  of  name.  Thei-e 
are  few  ducks  in  the  river,  no  flights  of  wild 
pigeons  darken  tlie  sun,  an  Indian  is  a  curiosity, 
rafting  is  done,  there  aic  no  more  arks,  gone  is 
the  canal  which  I  saw  built,  everything  is  be- 
coming tame  and  commonplace.  1  have  lived  a 
long  while — ninety-five  years,  but  T  would  like  to 
live  longer  in  this  beautiful  world  if  T  can  relain 
my  faculties  and  not  become  a  burden  to  my 
family.  I  can  read  without  glasses,  have  my  own 
teeth  and  have  a  good  liead  of  hair.  Last  week 
I  cli()pi>e(l  down  a  dea<l  a|>i)le  tree,  yon  can  see 
the  pile  of  stove  Avood  I  made  from  it  if  you  look 


(50 


PENNSYLVANIA  BISON  HINT 


out  tho  back  door.     Yesterday  I  butchered  a  big 
hog,  and  sliot  tlie  head  off  a  rooster.    Up  to  a  few 
years  ago,   I   often   walked  to  Middleburg,  ten 
niih's;  I  take  some  pretty  long  walks  still.    Lots 
of  people  come  to  see  me,  I  have  a  loving  con- 
siderate family.     Over  in  the  next  room  I  keep 
my  hnnting  trophies,  in  the  evenings  when  the 
wind  howls  about   the  old  house  I   go    in   and 
sit  beside  them,  the  heads  and  horns  of  buffaloes, 
deer  and  ant('l()])es  T  shot  in  tlic  old  days.    Then  I 
feel  myself  back  in  the  wilds  of  Jack's  Mountain, 
or  in  (learfield  County,  or  in  the  endless  plains. 
I  heai-  the  tiamp  of  the  bison  herds,  the  shouts  of 
the  victorious  hunters,  or  maybe  the  blood-curdl- 
ing cry  of  the  panther.   Then  my  mind  goes  back 
still  further,  and  I  hear  my  father  tell  of  how  his 
fatlier  took  part  in  the  hunting  of  the  last  herds 
of  bison  in  old  Pennsylvania,  of  Indian  massa- 
cres, of  pioiuMM'  hardships  and  T  feel  proud  to  be 
tlie  scion  of  such  stuidy  stock.     Yes,  indeed,  1 
have  nmch  to  be  thankful  for  in  this  grand  world ; 
I  have  lived,  I  have  struggled,  I  have  harmed  no 
one,  in   my  advanced  age  I  am  at  peace,  I  am 
(•(Hitent." 


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